Mack and Jacks African Amber clone
Made this today by pushing some barely done American Pale into the keg to make use of the carboy and re-use the yeast. I shouldn't brew when trying to also work, I forgot the orange peel until the wort was cooled and being transferred into the primary. I've never used orange peel or spices, so it was easy to miss. So, I boiled the peel for 5 minutes in some water, and poured through a strainer into the primary. I think it will be OK as the orange smell is coming through the blow off tube! Also missed my OG, I bought a new grain mill and am getting phenomenal efficiency. Made 4.5 gallons at 1071, diluted to 1064 because that was all the room I had.
Good call on using a blow off tube. I pitched so much yeast (600ml or so of Wyeast 1098 from previous batch) that within 2 hours it was working hard and I would have blown off my airlock within 3 hours.
I can't wait to try this beer!
Primary: African Amber, Black as Spades Lager
Secondary: Pilz
Kegged: Sour Cherry Stout, American Pale Ale
WaukeshaBrew wrote:
Made this today by pushing some barely done American Pale into the keg to make use of the carboy and re-use the yeast. I shouldn't brew when trying to also work, I forgot the orange peel until the wort was cooled and being transferred into the primary. I've never used orange peel or spices, so it was easy to miss. So, I boiled the peel for 5 minutes in some water, and poured through a strainer into the primary.
I've never added the orange peels at any other time besides the 30 min. Can't wait to hear how it comes out. The reason why I added it in the first place was because this recipe had no flavor add? I found that strange that such a flavorful brew had no flavor add. Great thing about this is that all kinds of oranges work, and also dried and fresh work great. With the fresh peels it takes about a month for the orange to mellow, and get the desired effect, with the dried, it's like 2 weeks. Good luck with the batch as I can't keep this one handy. I'm running out all the time, I actually just got a kegging set up so I can drop it off at parties and grab it later. Bottling is the real time consuming process so hopefully kegging will keep me in this beer for longer than 2 weeks.
Made a quick Extract of this one last night. I ordered my all grain list for this batch, but because of the holiday it wasn't going to be here until the 30th. I also ordered kegging equipment, and wanted somthing to put into the keg to secondary as soon as the kegs come. It was good to see I hadn't lost my touch on this recipe as I nailed the og 1.060, and used Magnum as my bittering hops, and i'm going to dry hop this one with my homegrown cascade, i'm sure this will come out great, as the extract version is very very good. Pitched slurry from my ESB batch, a combo of wlp005, and S-04 can't wait to see how they work together the second time around. Here's to finnally kegging, and I hope it's as easy as you guys say it is.
bruguru wrote:
Here's to finnally kegging, and I hope it's as easy as you guys say it is.
You'l love it. Dry hopping in the keg is just so simple. If it wasn't for the startup cost of the equipment,.... Well, you know what I mean now. And besides, now you get to play around with bottle fillers, counter presure or therwise. Did I mention the costs?
Bottled my batch of mack and jacl sunday. Just popped open a few to do "quality control" and it is very very good. made a 4 gallon batch, used half ounce of orange peel as in a 5 gallon batch and left it in primary. nice orange flavor but not pverpowering. Also dry hopped with an ounce of cascade and it really adds to it. excellent even only at 3 days carbed.
DC
Well it is carbed up and quite tasty! The summits are very strong in the aroma, and left a slightly grassy dryhop flavor, but that usually cleans up after a week or 2 for me- now to try and keep the keg that long!! 
Wow, looks great, actually it looks to good. This one is supposed to be cloudy, so I just leave out the clarifying agent, but i'm sure your going to be happy with it. The longer this one sits the better it gets. It becomes a Malty Citrusy easy drinker.
bruguru wrote:
The longer this one sits the better it gets. It becomes a Malty Citrusy easy drinker.
I brought a sample over for my budyy Scott to try, and his wife took a sip not even knowing what it should be, and her response was "wow I like that- nice and zesty". So that is the sorta feedback I enjoy.
Mack and Jacks on Tap. Life is good.
ALLRIGHT!!! That's so cool. I want one, too.
I can just see it on my beer fridge. But then I'd have to always have Mack & Jack's on tap.
Well now, that's not a bad idea anyway. 
Love it bro!
Now if we could just make you a sox fan??!!
bruguru wrote:
Mack and Jacks on Tap. Life is good.
http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv25 … chment.jpg
Didn't know you could hook it up that way. how'd you do it?
DC
Not a ton of places sell them, but Williams does! http://www.williamsbrewing.com/SELF_CLO … 228C65.cfm
Bruguru, how is the foaming with yours? My buddy got one this summer for a family picnic, he said it foamed a lot at first then balanced out nicely.
I only pulled one today, and yea it was foamy, but halfway through the pour it started to settle out. Since it's cask conditioned, I think it will balance out pretty well, and I don't have to deal with dialing it in to the proper c02 level.
This was the best way to do it in my situation. I'm moving in May, and don't have a dedicated fridge. So instead of buying a tap a draft, or party pig, I bought the kegs as I knew I would eventually need them anyway, also the tap and c02 Dispenser will come in handy at holiday parties.
I've had real good luck with that type of set up for hunt camp, fishing/camping trips & the occasional party.
Made a styrofoam lined box, & put a couple trash bags inside, fill with ice & off ya go.
Oh, Maggie sez "Hi"
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